Obesity and overweight have become a leading health problem in the world. But we have not yet had any optimal therapy to prevent this health issue. Accumulating evidence suggests that there is existence of functional brown/brite adipocytes in both infants and adult humans, and the activated brown/brite can burn energy by generating heat. These adipocytes can be differentiated from stem cells and transplantation of pre-activated human thermogenic adipocytes in vitro benefits to glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and reduces body fat in normal or obese immunodeficient mice. These investigations lead us to hypothesize a homologous stem cell therapy to treat obesity and its related disorders. The therapy bases on functional brown/brite adipocytes which are differentiated from homologous stem cells isolated from fat depot of an obese person, and those adipocytes are activated to have a full thermogenic program before being transplanted back to that patient to improve glucose homeostasis and reduce fat content.
Keywords: Brown/brite adipocytes; Human thermogenic adipocytes; Obesity and overweight; Stem cell therapy.
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